About Institutional Research at Maret

Maret's institutional research journey began in 2013 when it undertook its first in depth analysis of academic achievement patterns across demographic groups. The project, which examined grades and placements by race, gender, and division of entry from 1996 - 2011, sparked an interest in exploring ways to establish quantitative measures of institutional performance on an ongoing basis. Over the next several years, members of the math department and administrative team collaborated to create ongoing feedback systems and performance metrics for students, parents/guardians, and alumni.

In 2017, Maret's board, through its planning document known as Strategic Directions, established Measurement and Evaluation as one of the four central institutional goals for the next five years. To support the expansion of existing work and move towards the goals laid out in Strategic Directions, Maret created a part time position for an Institutional Researcher.

In the process of strengthening its institutional research systems, Maret reached out to other schools to pool knowledge and experience about analytical techniques, data strategies, and fostering institutional data culture. Supported by a 2020 Educational Leadership Grant from the Edward E. Ford Foundation, what began as an informal network of institutional research practitioners solidified into the Center for Institutional Research in Independent Schools (CIRIS.)

As Strategic Directions concludes, Maret has institutionalized ongoing dynamic dashboards for biannual young alumni surveys, a biannual model of holistic student experience known as the Maret Thrive Model, an Accepted Families dashboard to analyze our Admissions funnel and marketing plan, and an annual survey for parents and guardians. Maret's institutional research capacity has also been instrumental in navigating circumstances never foreseen in Strategic Directions, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Externally, through CIRIS, Maret is excited to support knowledge sharing and professional development for institutional researchers across the country through regular online-meet ups and our annual Summer Fellows Lab. To learn more about the resources CIRIS has to support your institutional research initiatives, don't hesitate to contact us!